ACC Takeaways: Week 3

By Joe Giglio

Melina Vastola – USPRESSWIRE

Three weeks down, 13 to go. The college football landscape is off to a wild start. Here’s a smattering of what we learned about the ACC in Week 3.

1. Florida State WAS that much better than Wake Forest. 28 points is a big spread for an in conference game. Turns out that it wasn’t big enough for this one. The Seminoles have been nearly flawless in all aspects of the game. They’ll have to be close to that to keep it up against their first real test: Clemson.

2. Clemson didn’t look ahead. Odds are that the Tigers would have defeated Furman even if they were looking ahead to this week’s date with FSU. Sammy Watkins eased his way back into the offense with five touches, 110 yards and a score. Clemson will need him in a big way to keep pace on Saturday night vs. the Noles.

3. Georgia Tech imposed their will on Virginia. 50 carries, 461 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground is the type of line you would expect in a box score against a second or third tier conference. To do it against a Virginia team that came into the game 2-0 was very, very eye opening.

4. Miami didn’t destroy Bethune-Cookman. Sure, the final score was 38-10. Look a little closer, though. 20 first downs for each side, time of possession in favor of the Wildcats, even turnover ratio and more penalty yards for Miami. The Hurricanes got their win to get back on track, but this was far from a flawless performance.

5. Boston College nearly stole a win on the road in the Big 10. Northwestern was the better team on Saturday afternoon, but the scoreboard gave the Eagles a fighting chance until the end. Ultimately, B.C. will look back on this game as a lost opportunity.

6. North Carolina State gets back on track. Obviously, South Alabama isn’t a big time opponent, but Mike Glennon and Co. needed a week to find their rhythm. This could be their turning point.

7. Virginia Tech fooled us again. The early season jitters were just hiding for the perennial teases from Blacksburg. Considering how poor Pittsburgh looked over the first couple weeks of the season, this upset was shocking.